May 25-28: BLUE CRAB FESTIVAL on the Palatka riverfront

The Red River Band will be on stage at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 26 in the entertainment tent at the Blue Crab Festival on the riverfront in Palatka.

May 25-28: Held each year on Memorial Day weekend, the Blue Crab Festival features carnival rides, live music, a seafood cookoff, arts and crafts and more along the riverfront in downtown Palatka.

In keeping with the new beautification project on the riverfront, the entertainment tent will be in a new spot this year, on the lot that faces the river (where the high-rise building used to stand). This will create more space for the crowd to listen to the live music.

Arts and crafts booths will stand along St. Johns Avenue, and food booths will be on either side of the entertainment tent.

Carnival rides will feature a ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl, a merry-go-round, bumper cars, a giant slide, funhouse, a train, and other rides. Wrist bands will be $20 for all day, $15 from open to 4 p.m., or $15 from 4 p.m. to close.

The “kid zone” will include inflatables, children’s rides and pony rides. In addition, helicopter rides will be available for $10 per person.

Live music begins at 6:30 p.m. May 25 with The Kenzie Report, and Diggin Rhythm & Blues will headline at 8:30 p.m. On May 26, live entertainment begins at 12:30 p.m. with the Red River Band, and continues throughout the day. Those Guys (from St. Augustine) will be on stage at 6:30 p.m., and Foghat headlines at 10:30 p.m. See the entertainment schedule below.

A seafood cookoff will begin at 10 a.m. May 26, and a Memorial Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. May 28 along Saint Johns Avenue in downtown Palatka. The parade will feature marching bands, community groups and organizations, and various other floats and units. The Blue Crab Festival will continue through 5 p.m. May 28, with the band Matanzas on stage at 3:30 p.m.

Admission and parking are free, with free live entertainment throughout the weekend.